Badminton-Inspired Heat Shield Set to Take Flight in 2021.

Welsh company Space Forge has designed a heat shield called Pridwen, inspired by the shuttlecock used in badminton, which can be folded before launch and then expanded into a shuttlecock-like shape once ready for re-entry. The heat shield is intended for returning materials from the Moon or from asteroids, or for landing spacecrafts on celestial bodies with atmospheres like Mars or Venus. Space Forge hopes to see a space flight using Pridwen before the close of 2023.